스웨덴과 핀란드의 취학연령 하향화 대응사례 분석 = A case study on the response to lowering of the school age in Sweden and Finland

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to find implications for Korea by analyzing the response cases to the lowering of the school age in Sweden and Finland, in respect to the recent announcement of a plan to lower the school entrance age to 5, which caused a social confusion in Korea. For this purpose, data were analyzed using literature research methods based on data from government agencies in Sweden and Finland, OECD and EU, and related studies. As a result of the study, the Nordic countries of Sweden and Finland showed child-centeredness of democracy, equality, freedom and liberation, solidarity and happiness through cooperation and compromise, and a good life for all children as prominent characteristics. These were reflected in early childhood education policy. Second, Sweden and Finland established the preschool class system, a pre-primay and compulsory education system for 6-year-old children. The preschool class was characterized by the preschoolification, and not schoolification. Third, the introduction of preschool class reduced the annual cost of investment per child, and the investment in early childhood education rendered positive results of expanding public investment in early childhood education. However, in terms of 6-year-old children, there was a clear difference between the infant class and ECEC. Therefore, care must be taken about the introduction of preschool class. Based on these results, the implications for the lowering of elementary school education to the age of 5 in Korea were discussed.